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14 October 2025 Around 80% of marine pollution originates on land — from agriculture, cities, and industries — and is carried downstream into the ocean, with far reaching impacts. This can harm fisheries, tourism and communities hundreds of kilometres downstream. At the same time, issues in coastal or marine areas can also affect upstream businesses and communities.

Across the globe, national statistical offices, government agencies and international organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of a holistic picture of social progress. Over the past decade, many have launched frameworks for measuring well-being beyond traditional economic measures, such as GDP, to assess whether life is improving for people and whether progress has been inclusive and sustainable.

At the 5th UN Forum of Mayors, convened by UNECE in Geneva on 6-7 October, city leaders from around the world reaffirmed their commitment to climate action by participating in the 'Trees in Cities Pledge' initiative. The symbolic action, which saw mayors physically "planting their pledge" on a feature tree in the Palais des Nations conference room, was a powerful demonstration of local leadership driving global change.

A UNECE study demonstrates that in Europe housing stress affects over one third of those in the lower 40% of the income bracket, and while the severity of affordable housing shortages varies significantly between countries, many households spend upwards of 45% of their income on housing expenses. These burdens also most greatly affect newcomers to the housing market, a cohort disproportionately composed of groups such as immigrants, young families, older persons, and single-parent households.

Mongolia shares more than 30 rivers and lakes with its neighbors and has a long history of peaceful collaboration on shared waters. It agreed bilateral agreements on transboundary water cooperation with China (1994) and the Russian Federation (1995), laying the foundation for joint monitoring, data exchange and basin management. These agreements remain key pillars of transboundary cooperation and reflect Mongolia’s longstanding recognition of water as a strategic and shared resource.

At the 5th UN Forum of Mayors, over 80 cities, of which over fifty represented by mayors and deputy mayors, from across the Pan-European region and from around the world have called for strengthened engagement of local authorities in multilateralism to shape a sustainable future.

Over the past 10 years, Montenegro has made significant progress in environmental governance and sustainable development. However, further efforts are needed since limited human and financial resources and fragmented institutional responsibilities hinder effective environmental protection. These are some of the conclusions of the Fourth Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Montenegro, published today by UNECE.

Following the decision of Parties to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution to revise the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-Level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol), which is expected to further strengthen efforts to reduce air pollution in Europe and North America, technical and scientific work to support the revision process is underway.

UNECE’s annual Sustainable Energy Week (SEW, held on 29 September - 2 October) will explore how countries can strengthen security, affordability and sustainability while ensuring that the transition is fair and inclusive. Alongside the overarching theme “Just transition for building resilient energy systems.” It will also showcase innovative approaches developed by UNECE together with a vast network of experts to address the challenges of a rapidly changing energy landscape.

Cities have a key role to play in addressing some of the main challenges of our times such as climate change, sustainable development, and to tackling key issues including housing affordability. City leaders from around the world will gather at the 5th meeting of the UN Forum of Mayors at the Palais des Nations in Geneva (6-7 October), to address these and other pressing topics.